Cliffs Edge [Kaylor]

twelve

Untouchable - Taylor Swift (a.k.a. queen)

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Karlie has the undeniable urge to get away. She is up before the sun and lays there with Taylor's naked body pressed against her own, losing track of time as she wallows in her thoughts. Last night had been perfect, aside from the little scare Taylor had given her, and Karlie should be happy. She should be content. Any normal person would be basking in the afterglow of sharing such an intimate moment with someone. All Karlie feels is panic as the walls close in on her, threatening to crush her if she takes a wrong turn. The tightness in her chest is overwhelming, and she knows that she needs to get away. Just for a little bit, just to clear her head.

She slips out of bed carefully, and Taylor doesn't even stir at the loss of contact. Karlie quietly pads over to her suitcase and starts pulling out clothes that would be suitable to run in. After lacing up her running shoes, she slips out of the bedroom and down the stairs. It doesn't take her long to find a member of Taylor's security, and she tells him where she's going and that she'll bang on the gate when she comes back. He looks confused, but just nods and opens the gate so she can slip away.

She finds comfort in the familiarity of running. The steady beat of her music and the feeling of her feet pushing against the pavement is exactly what she needs in that moment. Running has always been therapeutic for her, and it's been awhile since she just took off and ran a few miles. She tries not to think about the implications of last night, but her mind ends up wandering anyway. Karlie thought that if she made the entire thing hot and heavy, like she is used to, then it wouldn't have been such a big deal. She thought she could fit Taylor into the mold that she is used to, that she could avoid the feelings that are currently overwhelming her. This is different than anything Karlie has ever had to deal with before, and she knows that she is in over her head. Taylor is inevitable, and Karlie is still unsure how to handle it. Was their dynamic going to change now that they had sex? Karlie doesn't know if she wants it to or not.

Karlie stops for a break and checks her phone, and her eyes widen when she sees that almost two hours have passed. She had intended to get back before Taylor woke up, but now it looks like that won't be happening. She turns around and retraces her steps, getting lost every now and then but eventually finding her way back to Taylor's home.

When she walks through the front door she's greeted with silence. The sun is now streaming in through the half drawn blinds, providing natural light to the entire downstairs. Karlie calls out Taylor's name but gets no answer. Karlie takes her earbuds out and wraps them around her phone as she takes the stairs two at a time to reach the top landing. When she steps into the master bedroom, she pauses when she sees that Taylor is nowhere to be found. The bed is still unmade but the curtains are open and letting in the sun. The bathroom door is cracked open, and Karlie warily eyes it as the sound of a running shower becomes prominent.

She stands there for a few long moments, trying to figure out what to do. The answer should be obvious; she should prepare for a shower of her own since she's sweaty and a little gross. Taylor's got to have at least one other bathroom in this mansion of hers, and Karlie knows it would be easy to just slip away and go off to look. It'd be the rational, level-minded thing to do, especially since she just had to run four or so miles just to lower her anxiety. Karlie has never been particularly rational or level-minded, however. She is impulsive by nature, a creature of habit, and right now her body is telling her to make her presence known to Taylor. So she closes the bedroom door louder than necessary and then bends down to take off her shoes.

"Karlie?" Taylor's voice is so distant that Karlie almost doesn't hear it. Almost.

"Yeah?" Karlie calls back as she takes her hair out of its ponytail and runs a hand through it. It's shaggier than usual and she knows that she'll need to cut it again soon. She has such a love-hate relationship with her hair, and right now short and natural is her style of choice.